Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Nick Lodolo left Sunday's Spring Training start after just two batters.
Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Nick Lodolo has established himself as one of the organization’s most consistent arms. Appearing in 29 games last season (28 starts), Lodolo posted a career-best 3.33 ERA. His 156.2 innings pitched were also a career high, as were his 158 strikeouts. He held batters to a .233 batting average and had an elite 1.08 WHIP.
Spring Training has been a bit of a struggle so far for Lodolo, as he entered Sunday’s start against the Cleveland Guardians having surrendered nine earned runs in just 13.2 innings pitched. Two batters into this contest, Lodolo had already given up a walk and a two-run home run. As Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez stepped to the plate, Lodolo called the training staff out to the mound for what appeared to be a blister injury. After a short meeting on the mound with the training staff, he departed from the game.
The Reds are already dealing with an injury to right-hander Hunter Greene. If this blister injury ends up being a setback for Lodolo, that could complicate things early in the season for Cincinnati and its rotation. While it would not be a serious injury, these blisters can linger and even return, which is something Lodolo has already dealt with in his MLB career.
Shortly after being relieved by right-hander Griffin Green, it was reported on the broadcast that the Reds are officially calling it an index finger blister for Lodolo.
He will have about a week to get it right before he is slated to start in the regular season, but this is definitely an unfortunate setback, as he was not able to get his full workload in on Sunday, facing just two hitters before being forced to exit.
A first-round pick of the Reds in 2019 out of Texas Christian University, Lodolo is entering his fifth big league season. He debuted in 2022 when he made 19 starts for Cincinnati and posted a 3.66 ERA. He took a step back in 2023, as he was limited to just seven starts and had a 6.29 ERA.
While he was a bit more available in 2024, making 21 starts, his ERA was still an unimpressive 4.76. It was not until last season when he really established himself as a consistent top-of-the-rotation arm, and actually led baseball with two complete games, including one complete game shutout.
The Reds made the playoffs last season via the final Wild Card spot in the National League and are hoping to make it back this season. Led by veteran manager Terry Francona, this is a young group that is trying to establish itself as a consistent postseason team in the NL.
A healthy Lodolo will be critical to that pursuit, especially with Greene sidelined to start this season. This combination of poor Spring Training performance and now the blister injury is certainly concerning for a Reds team that is going to be incredibly reliant on the 6-foot-6 left-hander.
Andrew Abbott has been named the Opening Day starter for Cincinnati, but Lodolo projects to be right at the top of that rotation all year long.